March/April 2004 - Volume 83, Number 2

The following is a table of contents of the articles that appear in the March/April 2004 issue of The American Gardener.  Links have been established to each article.  However, many articles are only accessible to American Horticultural Society (AHS) members . When you click on these links, a challenge will appear for a username (ahs) and password that AHS members can use to view these articles. Non-members are encouraged to join AHS to be able to enjoy each of these articles and the many other benefits of AHS membership.

ASTERISKS (*) INDICATE PAGES VIEWABLE BY NON-MEMBERS.
Non-members can view the EXCERPT from the Landscaping with Roses feature.

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Features

• Hooked on Columbines by Robert Nold
  With their brightly colored flowers and graceful foliage, plants in the genus Aquilegia can quickly become an obsession.
   

• Creative Pruning by Carole Ottesen
  Cutting back certain herbaceous perennials and grasses at the right time will yield shapelier, more floriferous plants.
   

• Landscaping with Roses*  by Mary Yee
  It’s time to take roses out of the rose garden and explore the many ways they can be used in the home landscape.
   

• Kitchen Gardens—American Style by Kris Wetherbee
  Today’s kitchen gardens are bringing new excitement to American landscapes and appetites alike.
   

• Peonyland: A Dream Come True by Gay Kimelman
  A father and son growing Chinese tree peonies in the fields of Pennsylvania discover the trials and rewards of the nursery business.
   

• Think You Have Design Problems? by Tres Fromme
  Exploring the question of “what is design?” It’s probably not what you think it is.

Departments

• Web Special:
  NATIONAL AND REGIONAL AWARD WINNING PLANTS FOR 2004
  Each year, plant societies, garden groups, and botanical gardens across North America evaluate and award plants based on their overall or regional performance. Some of these plants are relatively new introductions that show promise, while others are garden classics that have become proven performers over time. Here are some of the plants that have received awards for 2004, along with links to the organizations that sponsored the individual award programs. If you click on those links, you can view photographs of many of the award-winning plants and learn more about their attributes and cultural needs.
   

• Notes from River Farm*
  Insights and updates about the American Horticultural Society from AHS President Katy Moss Warner.
   

• Members’ Forum
  Readers write to voice their opinions, make recommendations, or set the record straight.
   

• News from AHS*
  Updates on American Horticultural Society programs and events. In this issue: Online SmartGarden™ course to debut, AHS celebrates National Garden Month, AHS co-sponsors “Magic of Landscaping” program at Epcot, Friends of River Farm Spring Plant Sale at River Farm.
   

• AHS 2004 Great American Gardeners National Award Winners*
  Special: Meet the recipients of this year’s awards for excellence in horticultural research, communications, business, education, and other fields.
   

• Conservationist’s Corner*
  An occasional look at programs and organized efforts to save and protect rare and endangered native flora. This month: Collaboration among conservation groups, government agencies, and private citizens helps preserve Texas’s bracted twistflower.
   

• Gardener’s Notebook*
  Short, newsworthy articles on horticultural topics. This issue: Epimediums for the Midwest, teaching plants self-defense, New England Wild Flower Society expands nursery, Wild Ones organization turns 25, new tree-planting research, the legacies of Charles Lewis and Richard Hutton.
   

• Everyday Garden Science*
  Plant science in plain English by AHS President Emeritus H. Marc Cathey. This issue: The good and bad side of chemical elements for plants and the environment.
   

• Book Reviews *
  Featured: Plant Discoveries, Rock Gardens: Design and Construction, and So You Want to Start a Nursery. Special focus: Plant references.
   

• Regional Happenings
  Listings of lectures, flower shows, and other gardening events across the country. Featured: Regional Arbor Day events.
   

• Hardiness and Heat Zones and Pronunciations
  A guide to USDA Plant Hardiness and AHS Plant Heat Zones for most of the cultivated plants listed in each issue—and a user-friendly guide to pronouncing their botanical names.
   

• Perfect Plant Companions
  A spotlight on plants that look great together. This issue: A cottage-garden vignette from the Pacific Northwest.
   

You can gain access to the online version of this issue of The American Gardener AND get a printed copy of each bimonthly issue mailed to your home by becoming an American Horticultural Society (AHS) member today. Click here to learn about the many other benefits of AHS membership--the annual Free Seed Exchange, toll-free gardener's hotline, free and discounted admission to flower shows and botanical gardens, and much more--and for a membership application. To purchase a single copy of the magazine, click here. The American Gardener is also available through select vendors; ask your local newsstand for our publication.

Items marked with an asterisk (*) can be viewed by non-members without a username and password.

Letters to the editor should be emailed to: editor@ahs.org or mailed to:
Editor, AHS,
7931 East Boulevard Drive,
Alexandria VA 22308.